


Food For Thought

by Alkaline6022



Category: Original Work
Genre: Deep Conversations, Gen, Philosophy, Social Commentary, Social Critic - Freeform, Social Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 12:36:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21392263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alkaline6022/pseuds/Alkaline6022
Summary: Phoebe and Alvis are data clerks at the Institute responsible for reporting all kinds of information to the Unified Council as it is required by every country. One day, Alvis catches Pheobe having lunch and she vents out about the absurdity the numbers have been telling her...
Comments: 7
Kudos: 3





	Food For Thought

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with this story after watching a few seasons of Daria and the new Joker movie. I also wanted to try creating some original content to exercise some character building. I'll admit it ended up sounding more political than I wanted to, but there are some good insights framed in there so I decided to keep it like this.
> 
> Credits to Tactical Cat for editing.

Annual report time; the busiest season of the office, every worker is constantly shuffling around in their business suits to get their paperwork filled. Data from all over the country is gathered at the Institute and in the fourth month of the year the reports must be emitted to the Unified Council. The Council was created by leaders around the world with the objective of keeping track of each country’s yearly progress. All statistics are delivered to each country’s respective representative, who in turn publishes the numbers in the Council’s records.

Amid the hecticness, workers manage to find time for their lunch breaks. Although mandatory, most leave their stations only to get more data for their reports. The cafeteria is quite deserted this time of the year, thus making it a peaceful getaway from the fast-paced, stressful environment the office has become.

Setting herself down to dine in the Luxury Room, which is nearly impossible to find vacant at any other time of the year, Phoebe places her tray on the red tablecloth that covers the mahogany surface. She picks up the silverware from the cupboard just beside her seat and proceeds to eat her steak and beans. Enthralled by the finesse of her cutlery, she barely takes her eyes off her plate until she noticed a figure taking a seat in front of her.

“Had a feeling I’d find you here…” The man speaks. His voice lightened with a jest to match with his scrawny looks.

“Oh, Alvis? How did you know I was here?” 

“It’s the last place anyone would expect you to be. You play the no frills type quite well, I never thought I’d see the classier side of you…” He giggles as she rolls her eyes. “Anyway, I saw you leaving for lunch and by your expression you seemed to have quite a bit on your mind… Anything you wanna talk about?” His voice quickly changes to a more concerned tone as he places his food tray and takes a seat.

“Have you seen the numbers? They don’t make any sense at all…” She began, looking puzzled as she tried to organize her thoughts into coherent words. “Everyone in my department has been reporting a continuing decrease in the quality of education. Students grades are worsening and so is the structure of the schools. Our academic system is degrading, yet no one takes any action… Polls for the next election shows the Party staying in power for another term.” Her voice is monotonous as if she was numbed down by the absurdity the reports were showing her.

“It’s hard to make sense of those things, Phoebes…” Alvis started explaining. “My department shows an economical growth in our reports, but I’ve heard from the guys next door that the demand for social services have been increasing. Even with all of that the government is still shortening funds. It’s like there’s a force making sure things go on reverse, in favor of chaos and misery.”

“Yea, the marketing departments.” She replied bluntly. “But I get what you’re saying. I’ve been having similar thoughts, only that I think the answer might be something more realistic and almost obvious…”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you seen the rallies? Crowds of peoples chanting for their “pet hero”, blinded to the truth, or the lack thereof in this case, beneath those empty promises. It really makes me wonder why people act that way. Do they not realize the nonsense entering their ears? Or have we become so desperate for a solution we’ll just believe that the wolf is our shepherd?” Phoebe’s voice kept the same tone, as she tries to deny in her mind those absurd thoughts might make any sense. “Even if it is true, I refuse to believe it…” She tilts her head to the side and looks down in disbelief.

“It’s like time has passed but the social roles remained the same.” She scoffs. “We don’t have kings, but we’re still led by power-crazed people who just do as they please. Our celebrities are like the nobles; a few use their wealth and influence for the good, but most just care about maintaining their status. Then there’s us, commoners, who’s lives are seen as nothing but a resource to be farmed…”

“Hey Phebes, get a grip!” Alvis shakes her. “Granted things seem absurd, but for the sake of your sanity, you shouldn’t dive so deep into it. We can’t solve all of the problems, the best we can do is to keep living our lives and help as many people as we can.” 

He tries to comfort her by reminding his friend of how fortunate they are.

“We have this steady, stable job, with plenty of benefits.” He continued. “We can make a comfortable living out of this, and don’t forget – the ones you’re criticizing are the ones who sign your check!”

“How do you keep it together, Alvis? We’re the only few who can see through this fraud. There’s not a day I come here happy with the data I’m given. It upsets me even more knowing that our bosses are the cause of such numbers.”

“I know, Phoebe. Don’t think I’m happy with it either… However, I have a wife to whom I must provide. Not to mention the fact, that well… We can’t survive in this world without a job.”

“Oh, right your wife…” Phoebe rolls her eyes, as the mentioning of his spouse makes the situation even more displeasing. “I envy your wife, if I may be honest…”

“Uh… Excuse me?” Alvis feels flustered. 

“Don’t get me wrong Alvis, it’s not the marital status that I’m interested. I’m talking about how alienated she is from this. Her worries lie in what will the celebrities wear for the next gala event or what will her friends think about the outfit she’s just bought. None of the issues we’ve discussed affects her. She’s got a husband who provides for her, plenty of friends with similar interests to talk with… How can I not be envious?” 

She stops and take a sip of her drink to recollect her thoughts.

“It’s funny even. I said that she’s alienated, but she’s surrounded by people, she has many connections, albeit superfluous, with others. Whereas, I am realistic, but at the cost of feeling alienated myself. No one takes the time to have these thought-provoking conversations that we do. You’re the only other person I can rely on to talk. We’ve both experienced how jading this world can be.”

She pauses once more, looks away, sighs and continues.

“Even if I tried to talk with others about this, they would find me boring. Some would take me seriously but as a joke. Thinking I’m just another rebel or anarchist type of person. I’ll admit… I don’t think I can change things either. Most of what I tried to change ended up in failure and most things I want to change are already set in stone. What I really crave are not social connections, but human ones… The kind you just feel in sync with someone else, the kind you both can be completely vulnerable to each other, the kind both just want to talk about our existence, reflect upon what’s going on in our lives and the world that surrounds us. Though, that feels like just a fantasy in the superfluous world we live in…”

“Well, there’s only so much I can do for you alone.” Alvis tried to comfort her. “However, I’m more than glad to have these conversations with you, friend.” He smiled.

Her face lit up as the word reached her.

“Thank you, Alvis, it means a lot to me”

“Now we should really reheat our food and start eating.” He suggested after looking at his watch. “Break’s done in 10.”


End file.
